Diego Maradona was restrained by security staff as he confronted opposition fans in the stands during his side Al Wasl's 2-0 defeat at the hands of Al Shabab in Dubai on Thursday, angry at threats and abuse directed toward wives and girlfriends of his Al Wasl players. Maradona called the Al Shabab fans "cowards" after they heckled the group of women, including his wife Veronica Ojeda, during his team's 2-0 loss.

"[The Shabab fans] are cowards," Maradona said to Gulf News. "They only attack women and have no courage to confront men. We accept everything in football, but do not accept men swearing at women. I accept defeat but I am not happy with what happened against the fans tonight. Any fans upset by this should know that I was only there to defend my wife and I am only against the people who were directly insulting my wife."

The women were eventually escorted from the stadium by police, whiule Maradona was walked to the dressing room. Local media reported no one was hurt. Maradona has been involved in several contentious incidents since signing a two-year contract with the United Arab Emirates club in May. He has had run-ins with rival coaches and seen his goalkeeper banned for 17-games for slapping an opposition coach.

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